ILikeYou
by sioux343
Summary: Albus Potter is driven to the brink of insanity. He can do no wrong in the eyes of the wizarding community just because he's the son of Harry Potter. How can he just be him if no one will let him? Scorp/Rose Albus/OC
1. Chapter 1

"Naughty Albus, you shouldn't do that."

I sighed. Here we go.

"I think we can let this one slide, though. If you don't say anything I certainly won't." my Muggle Studies professor tells me with a wink. Her beaded necklace makes her look like a hunchback, not to mention ridiculous. Heavy opals can't help your posture at all.

"I think I can manage to keep my mouth shut." I murmur through clench teeth. No! Punish me! Please punish me. I want to be punished. I've wreaked so much havoc in this classroom in just twenty minutes, more damage than a batch of pixies could.

"Good, now run along dear. I'll just clean this mess up, shall I?" the thin woman promises and to make good on that promise she picks up her wand immediately before waving it around. I stomp out of the classroom in a torrent of fury, just as my mate Scorpious steps out of the shadows.

"Gah! Don't_ do_ that!" I screech holding my hand to my heaving chest. The tall blond only laughs, demonically.

"Got out of it again didn't you?" he asks casually crunching into the green apple as the juice of the fruit soaked his lips.

"I don't even want to talk about it." I mutter in aggravation as I pull myself back together. Scorpious grabs my shoulder tightly as we walk back to the common room in the basement of the castle. To the very core of were my insanity lies. I was a Slytherin, and I didn't particularly mind that so much. Being a Slytherin was pretty awesome, if you're into scaring the shit out of people and all that. No, the problem was that I was Harry Potter's child. The fact of the matter was that everyone knew who I was because I was the son of a hero and it's not like I could hide that fact because we could almost be twins. I look exactly like him with these awful green eyes and crazy-standing jet black hair.

And being Harry Potter's child plus sorting hat shouting Slytherin equals a chaotic way to begin the next seven years of your life. I'm supposed to be in Gryffindor. I'm supposed to be god-like, like daddy dearest.

"I'm not asking you to open up mate, I'm not, but you really need to_ loosen_ up." Scorpious concedes as we enter a moist, evergreen looking room. Sometimes I really think that dear old Salazar could have strived a little bit more for comfort than creeping people out. Not to mention a better location for his students, having a common room under the lake had no perks whatsoever.

"We can't all be as relaxed as you." I tell him through clenched white lips and a furrowed brow. Here's the thing about Scorp he really knows when he's crossing the line, but if he didn't push the envelope well then he wouldn't be him. He wasn't afraid to cross me, he didn't give into my every whim, he challenged me and besides he was just plain awesome. From the first night we met at the sorting ceremony, I knew. I made a vow. I was going to be friends with Scorpious Malfoy, because he was a cool dude, and because it would piss my father off to no end. Now, I know it sounds like I was just using him at first and maybe I was, but don't you dare judge me because I'm sure Scorpious had the same idea with his own father. He hated him as well. It's a mutual agreement between us that we will not have kids because we will not fuck up their lives like our fathers did to us. I hate who I am. I hated the blood that runs in my veins, that gave me life and I'm damn sure Scorpious despised his family name as well.

"That's true, but if you keep getting yourself worked up about the stupidest little things, you're going to wind up strapping a boulder to your back and diving into the lake, you catch my meaning?" Scorpious tells me as he bounces into a chair and crosses his legs on the table in front of it.

"I feel you." I tell him in a broken voice and mimic his actions. I rub my eyes with a ferocity that wishes I can scrub every last morsel of green pigment out of them.

"Good" Scorpious commends and lights up a cigarette. I hate when he does this, the one habit I wish he would kick.

"You know smoking-" I start and not a heartbeat later he cuts me off like he already knows what I'm going to say. Probably does, it's been the same speech since he began to smoke.

"Don't start. Not tonight please."

"Malfoy, put the cigarette out now." An asshole prefect tells us marching over with his hands clenched to his sides. I hate seventh years, they think they can boss us around because they're one year older? Don't think so, come back later and try again please. "Go to your dormitories immediately before I report you and take… your friend." The stupid git says trialing off as he looks at me.

"Albus, my name is Albus and you damn well know it." I tell him in exasperation. I should be so livid about it, but I can't find it in me to care. I know what I want, what I need. Now's not the time to argue with this jackass standing over me. It's so ironic that out in the real world everyone sneers at Scorpious and I defend him, yet here in the confines of Slytherin territory they sneer at me and Scorpious is the one who stands by my side. Slytherins respect him; the rest of the world respects me. So basically, we could start a takeover, but I think we're much too lazy.

"Whatever, man." Scorpious concedes before dousing the open fire hazard "But apologize to my friend first."

"Don't bother." I reply faintly "He isn't worth my time; frankly I can think of something much better." With that sentiment I roll off the chair and head out the common room and up a slew of staircases, Scorpious at my heels.

"You up yet?" I yell through the window and I hear a grunt. Sounds like a 'yes' to me. So I swing up onto a wooden beam of the tower and start getting my body in motion to make the leap onto the grey tiled roof. With an 'umpf' I land in a crouch before scampering up higher onto the tall steep tower on all fours. Scorpious is already up there positioned at the top and bringing out our stash of alcohol. He lays back down as he cracks open a bottle of firewhisky. He buries his face in the stuff, holding it at a ninety degree angle. It amazes me how he can gulp it down like that, I can't even do that and I'm the one with the raging alcoholism.

"Please don't drink too much tonight. I don't really feel like carrying you back." Scorpious reminds me pleasantly before finishing off his first glass of the night.

"Not a problem." I tell him with ease before cracking open a bottle of my own. I lie down next to him and stare up at the sky.

"I hate how we do this." Scorpious murmurs almost quietly as he twirls the empty bottle around in his fingers.

"You'd hate it more if we didn't."

"I'm not sure if that's really true." He confesses absentmindedly and puts the bottle down on the scratchy tile, letting it fall a few feet thanks to that wonderful thing called gravity before pulling it back up again and starting over.

I don't bother answering him. Even if _he_ could stop this incessant drinking binge we did, he wouldn't because of me. I can't stop. I admit it, but it's not so bad. I put up with his awful smoking and he puts up with my need to escape myself. It works well, hand-in-hand really. After nearly going through all our stash and a few hysterical fits, I can just feel my eyes rolling in the back of my head. I look over at Scorpious and he's nearly as bad off as I am. Oops. Oh well, fuck it.

"I hate people." I announce to the entire planet loudly raising my finger in the air, but against my own will it falls limply on top of the roof. I focus soundly trying to get my hand airborne again, but it just will not listen.

"I love your cousin." Scorpious declares and sits up on the edges of his elbows. Crap, how can he do that? How can he make his arms obey him?

"No, fair!" I moan trying to wriggle my arms, but I can't!

"I think she's the most beautiful creature on the planet." He simpers "Dammnit Albus, stop hitting me!" Oh, maybe I was moving my arms. Well how come I couldn't see them moving? I scoot over and knock the dead limp limb except it isn't fleshy, it's glass. It's a bottle. The bottle falls sideways and begins to roll down the roof. All the way down and I'm not stopping it. Somehow I find this hysterical.

"We are so going to get busted." I gurgle out through laughs and manage to sit up to get a better view of the bottle, just as it plummets over the edge. Sure, enough seconds later I hear the nice little cracking sound. It broke. Scorpious laughs along with me and then we see a light flicker on far below us, shadows casting out into the dimly lit night.

"Think it's time to go?"

"Nah" I breathe falling back onto the palms of my hands. Voices start to float up to us from the grounds.

"Yeah, definitely time to go." Scorpious concurs with himself and we both slouch back down towards the window. As I look at it, it starts to look like a hallway, forever backing up. I stumble to grab hold of the wooden beam.

"Easy, easy" Scorpious rushes out and then as if I was a superhero I flew square through the window. Scorpious not far behind me. The bottle must have attracted all the teachers and prefects because none were present in the hallway as we reached our common room. I stifled a high-pitched giggle as we entered the dorm room. My life was highly funny, why am I always so sad again? Scorpious and I fell into a jumbled heap on my bed as it was the closest to the door.

"Scoot over, Albus."

"It's my bed you stupid fuck."

"I really meant what I said you know? Why won't you let me date Rose? I really do love her." Scorpious' voice echoes in the darkness and I only sigh with irritation.

"No you don't. Go to sleep."

"Albus don't tell me what I do and do not like. I am very capable of my own feelings." Scorpious tells me affronted and maybe hurt? Pansy.

"You're capably intoxicated." I slur out. I'm not even sure that made sense.

"Which is why you should believe me, I'm telling the truth."

"The answer is still no, besides it's not like she'll even look at you anyway."

"She does look at me." Scorpious tells himself more than me, I only guffaw stupidly.

"With disgust." I snort out and he finally sighs with defeat. Game, set, match.


	2. Chapter 2

"If any of you have any idea who's this is please come forward

"If any of you have any idea who's this is please come forward." Headmistress McGonagall told everyone at breakfast the next morning. Scorpious and I just looked at each other, looked back at the evidence that McGonagall held, and then back to each other with bored expressions. In the headmistress's hands she held the newly repaired bottle of firewhisky.

"I should also like to tell the perpetrators to stay away from the roof as we have collected the rest of your remnants and trash." McGonagall warned in a deadly tone. Now why in the world would you tell those said criminals that? I mean, why wouldn't you let them just go back to the spot and catch them. That's what any logical person would have done. She's either stupid or doesn't want to catch the culprit. I'm going for the latter; she likes her school to look 'clean'. Busting alcoholics is not what she strives for. She strives for 'excellence!' I know this because she gives us a rather dull speech every year about what she expects from us as students at the start of the term feast. Here's the kicker though, I've never been to McGonagall's office. Never. I swear. I've never been sent to her and I've pulled a lot of stupid crap. Sure, she knows who I am, but all the teacher's have never seen fit to send me to her.

"Well, I for one am going to report this awful person when I find out who it is." Scorpious replies sarcastically and I roll my eyes in compliance. I don't feel like playing along today with him; my head is pounding.

"Let's get out of here; we have N.E.W.T. potions first period." With that we pick up our bags, sling them over our shoulders and stalk out.

"My favorite class." Scorpious murmurs and licks his lips scanning the dingy, musty dungeons. You'd think someone would clean these out once in a while? Make them look half way decent.

I look over to my mate and see him eyeing a short, red head with her hair pulled back at the base of her neck in a ponytail. As if she can feel our eyes on her Rose turns around. Rose looks like Aunt Hermione in many ways. She has the same chin and nose, but her cheek bones and eyes are all Weasley. Those light brown eyes narrow in on us.

"Albus, Malfoy" she greets and Scorpious' eyes fall flat.

"I have a name." he mutters in irritation and she only looks at him perplexed.

"I know. I just used it."

"A _first_ name, smartass." Scorpious drops his textbooks on the table.

"Don't talk to Rosie like that!" Melvin pipes up from across the table. Melvin is a Gryffindor idiot that's infatuated with Rose. To say this kid was geeky would be a lie and therefore make me a liar, because he was beyond geeky, he was in that dimension with abnormal and strange. If you catch my drift. One credit to him though, he was good looking. _What_, you may be gasping to yourself, but alas, it's true. His trimly cut brown hair bristled to make his face erm… 'pop' as I've heard.

Unfortunately, our professor was all for inter-house unity, thus separating four to a table, two people per house. That's exactly how this little ensemble got started this year after we received our O.W.L results. We didn't get to choose who we sat with. If it was up to me I would have sat with the Hufflepuffs instead of Gryffindors or Ravenclaws for that matter though I despise them quite fiercely. Don't get me wrong I love my cousin, but she doesn't top my list of who I would like to work with. She's sort of obsessive.

"Shut your trap, Melvin." I order and throw my books right besides Scorpious' before taking a seat and leaning back the chair to stand up on two legs.

"Albus Severus" Rose chides in warning "don't talk-" I slap my hand over my cousin's mouth as I fly forward in my chair.

"Don't call me that." That name. My god-awful middle name was the kiss of death in the Slytherin house. If anyone, I mean anyone, ever found out about it they'd slaughter me in my sleep. I mean not that they didn't already want to, but that name was hated in the 'old slytherin' community. He was a traitor. Snape the Traitor. Merlin, I hate my life.

Professor Macmillan walks into the room looking like a pompous ass as usual. Maybe I would like the guy if he didn't bring up his 'glory days' so much. It's beyond annoying. Most of our conversations would consist of "Hey Al, (side note: I despise that nickname. He's getting points off just for using it.) did your Dad ever mention how we fought in the Battle of Hogwarts together?"

"No, he was too busy killing Voldemort to notice anyone. It was a pretty hard job I imagine."

"Oh of course of course! Well, he knows me; just tell him that I'm your teacher, Ernie. I think he'd be pleased to know that I'm the one furthering your education along."

"Yeah, that'll be in the first paragraph when I write to him, don't worry."

Thus, I've come to the conclusion that sarcasm is lost on pinheads because he still believes to this day that I really will write about him one say to my dad. As if I'd waste me time…

"Today class, we will begin with Amortentia. A N.E.W.T. level potion, you have an hour and a half. Please begin and feel free to ask for help. Any at all." Professor Macmillan crows to us before starting off at the first table. See, even if I didn't already despise this man I might hate him even more for being annoying. He was just one of those teacher's that liked to be involved and that was downright aggravating; the only plus to this guy was that if you asked him a question he'd just tell you the answer. He was also just one of those teachers that loved to brag so much about what they know. In the end you had to endure his long winded explanations of why this was relative to this and somewhere in between the blubbering lines of his unintelligible speech you'd find the answer you were looking for. It's mostly the reason half the year failed their N.E.W.T's for potions. No one knew a thing because we'd never had to actually remember anything before, but Merlin forbid you bring this up with McGonagall. She croons over her beloved Macmillan. I know, it's wrong and odd on so many levels.

"Let's get started." Rose sighs in exasperation as Melvin hovers around her much to close, I'm sure he'd be popping her personal bubble if they really did exist.

"If I cursed him…" Scorpious starts as his eyes narrow in on the closeness between the two Gryffindors "…do you think that I would get out of it with only one detention?"

I peer over to Macmillan by another table and see his face split in a grin. He's in a good mood.

"That's an affirmative." I tell him with complete faith in my answer. "I wouldn't though, Melvin's a whiner."

"True." Scorpious concurs and lowers his raised wand in disappointment. "Need any help Rosie?"

"I need a lot of things. I need you to stop being a prick. I need Albus to grow up. I need Melvin to stop breathing on me. I need all of you to get along. I need to finish this potion, but more importantly I need an 'O' in this class to become a healer. I certainly can't do it though if you are going to sit there and ask me idiotic questions Malfoy." Rose says all the while measuring out the exact amount of ingredients to put into the steaming cauldron.

"I'm going to take that as a 'Yes, Scorpious, please help me. For I am frail and a woman.' For if I do help you, we will get an 'O', you will pass, you will become a healer. What could be better? Well, Rose, here's a little bonus I'll throw in for free. You'll most likely adore me after this particular class, Potter here will grow up, I'll learn my lesson, and we'll get married." Scorpious replies with such intensity in his grey eyes that even I get lost in them. Not Rose.

"_What_?" she shrieks in indignation dropping the vials down onto the table with a thud.

"Oh you're right I forgot and I'll punch Melvin in the mouth. Thus swelling his lips up and forcing him to breathe through his nose." My mate says lightly to Melvin's tall looming form.

"Take it back Malfoy." Melvin warns holding his wand up with his wrist flipped to the ceiling. It's the oddest way I've ever seen someone hold a wand. I don't even know how he fights like that? Not only that, but he holds it like an inch form his face instead of away from his body. It's so freaking weird.

"Which part? Me punching you or the part where I'm marrying your girlfriend. They're both true you know." Scorpious still says in that easy voice. It almost makes it seem like we're having a regular old chat.

"I will not be fought over." Rose stomps her foot and looks between both of the boys.

"Rose, we're not fighting over you." Melvin assures her and the way he says it even I know it came out wrong. Rose widens her brown eyes a bit before letting her mouth go slack. "No, that's not what I meant exactly." Melvin tries to amend.

"Oh, it's exactly what you meant Melv-o." Scorpious antagonizes and I just take in the scene with amusement.

"Let's just finish the potion." Rose replies primly brushing the few strands of hair from her face.

"Now Rose," Melvin starts to explain

"No." She replies stubbornly

"Now you've done it." Scorpious chimes in the background.

"Everything ok here?" Professor Macmillan comes up from behind me to ask. My table is oblivious to his presence.

"Shut up!" Rose cries to Scorpious

"Yeah!" Melvin says with his hands on his hips turning to face the other boy as well.

"You shut up too! I wouldn't want you to _fight over me_." Rose repeats scathingly to Melvin rounding back on him and his mouth drops open in surprise.

"You KNOW I didn't mean it like that."

"What's happening?" Macmillan says entranced in the fight like I am. I weigh the pro's and con's of talking to this big oaf for a moment. I see no harm in this conversation though I doubt I'll get much out of it. I oblige his request and explain to him what exactly went down.

"Don't touch me!" Rose cries slapping Melvin's hand from her shoulder.

"Nice smack Rose." Scorpious comments giving her the thumbs up as Melvin gives her a deeply hurt expression.

"My only concern is for you and your honor." Melvin says in a wounded voice.

"It's cadswallop." Macmillan murmurs in my ear. The fighting trio have yet to notice him and I.

"He's a really good actor." I say back with raised eyebrows and nod in agreement.

"To bad he's wounding your honor." Scorpious intervenes in the trio's conversation as Rose's face starts to soften from Melvin's comment.

"Yeah," Roses' look becomes one of distant confusion and then she pulls her eyebrows down to make her face become menacing "how can you defend my honor if you won't fight over me?" she demands to Melvin.

"A hypothetical question, of course." Scorpious adds in leaning forward on the desk just a little.

"You don't think she fancies him?" Macmillan asks me seriously.

"Which one?"

"Good point." My professor concedes with a shake of his head and continues to stare with avid anticipation at this wacky quarrel.

"That's not what I meant!" Melvin reaches to the point of near hysteria and I figure it's time to jump in before Scorpious achieves his goal to send him to the insane asylum.

"Albus' ruling #383 now in session: In the case of Rose v. Melvin v. Scorpious, I rule in favor of no one. All of you being idiots is the cause for my ruling. Melvin, did not indicate what he meant properly, but I hate you still. Rose, you're oversensitive. Scorpious, you're just plain mean." I bang on the desk with my hand. "Case dismissed. Let's start this potion of love."

"Brilliant! I love it!" Professor Macmillan cheers much to my surprise and dismay. He straightens up to give me short, undeserving applause. "Oh thirty points to Slytherin. My, oh, my I think I'm going to recommend you for Head Boy next year that was an absolutely amazing ruling."

"Is that a joke?" Rose pulls a revolted face. It looks much better though than the one of surprise that adorned her features right before.

"What a silly joke that would be Ms. Weasley." Macmillan chuckles before bouncing off.

"That's _about_ right." I emphasize before plundering down low into my chair.

"It is." Scorpious agrees amused.

"Can you turn down the position of Head Boy?" I ask to the general area.

"Now why would anyone do an absurd thing like that?" Melvin answers placing his hand over his forehead in wonder.

"Absurd indeed." Rose mutters to herself before dumping in all the contents angrily. The cauldron melts.

"Nice job, Weasley." Scorpious mutters out of the corner of his mouth as we scrubbed on our hands and knees, without magic, the remnants of the cauldron that was permanently welded to the desk. Now, when I say we, I really mean them because I was forbidden, yes this was expressed directly from Professor Macmillan, to do that job. My job was to sit in a big comfy chair at the front of the potions classroom and write labels for all the vials in the storage cabinets. It was down right abominable. What was he playing at? Now, Rose _was_ the one that went off on a loony rampage, but I was just as much not as fault as Scorpious was.

"Do you see this cauldron? This is what you're going to look like if you say one more word. Do I make myself clear?" Rose hissed out and after every word she scrubbed her brush back and forth. It was a nice touch of dramatic effect.

"What are you going to do throw water on me? Come on I know you can think of something much cleverer than melting me. Think about it a little bit longer and get back to me. Honestly, a wizard melting? That's not even original." Scorpious jeers cheekily and Rose's face has bypassed red and gone to maroon.

"You want original? I'll show you original." Rose screeches throwing down her brush and reaching for her wand. Scorpious doesn't look the least bit scared. I probably should intervene on his behalf, as he's my mate and all, because I've seen Rose do some scary shit when she's mad, but the part of me that thinks this will be amusing wins out. So I stop and stare at the fight brewing, laying all the pansy calligraphy quills aside. Yes, Macmillan was making me write labels in calligraphy. The irony of the situation was that we were in the dungeons. I mean why bother trying to fix it up and make it look nice? I mean there are shackles which are devious torture devices and then a cabinet full of colorful, calligraphy vials. Life's strange.

"Rose, this isn't you. Rise above."

"Shove it up your ass Melvin. He has it coming to him." Rose snarls at the boy trying to intercede as I did not. I could've warned him too about Rose's slight temper, but then I would have missed this joyous scene that's unfolding in front of me.

"You're frightening me." Melvin says timidly backing away from the girl as she points her wand at him square in the chest.

"Really?" Malfoy asks in curiosity.

"You mean, you're not scared?" Melvin fires at the blonde in disbelief.

"What's to be frightened off? You've got a wand also haven't you?"

"Of course!" Melvin stammers and struggles to pull out his own wand.

"Use it then for fuck's sake!" Malfoy thunders out and slaps his hand on his forehead in disbelief. I snigger; it's hilarious overzealous moves like that, that crack me up during our own little tiffs. The sad part is that it always makes me laugh so much I can't even be pissed off at Scorpious any more and the really sad part of it is that he literally plans these ridiculous acts of drama out in his head. He's a walking self-absorbed prick. Which is why all the ladies love him, is it not?

"I can't use it on a girl!" Melvin screeches as he puts his hands up on both sides of his face and his eyes roll out of their sockets. He's a whack-a-doodle, I'm telling you.

"_What_? What's wrong with fighting a girl?" Rose fumes and she steadies herself for a fight.

"I'm not fighting you, Rose." Melvin vows and backs away with his hands up and his wand flops on the floor, useless. Much like its master. The wand does choose the wizard though.

"I'll fight you then." Scorpious says shrugging away from a desk to scoot closer to Rose before pulling out his own wand.

"You can't be serious!" Melvin pleads and I can't help, but think of a really dramatic love scene where a husband goes off to war and the wife is pleading with him to change his mind. Melvin would be spot on for the woman role. He's even got the whiny voice down.

"Albus," I start and turn towards Scorpious and his obnoxious voice, apparently he's been calling my name and I haven't noticed. "you don't mind if we duel?" I consider this for a moment. If I don't let them fight Rose would bitch and moan to me, Scorpious would be agitated that I didn't let him teach her a lesson though he'll still claim how he's infatuated with her 'spirit', and Melvin will be thanking me on bended knee. If I do let them fight Rose might win and gloat or lose and shut up, Scorpious might win and gloat and gloat and gloat and gloat until I shut him up or lose and not utter a word all week, and Melvin will go mad with anguish and hopefully be sent to the loony bin, where he was meant to be all along. I bet you can just GUESS which option I picked…

Rose and Scorpious circled each other going around and around in the middle of the classroom. They eyed each other down with loathing and this would have continued had I not shouted 'Get on with it! Off with her head!". Which then prompted Rose to remind me that I was her cousin, which infuriated her even more that I was on Malfoy's side, which made her FINALLY fire a hex.

So, the fight of the century began. I snort to myself. Ok so it wasn't anywhere NEAR the fight of the century. I suppose that spot was reserved for my dad and the nemesis of this wizarding world. But seriously, I call Rose and Malfoy overdramatic? I suppose I'm the biggest hypocrite and entirely over theatrical one of us all. Then I see Melvin whimpering in the corner with tears in his eyes as he watches Malfoy set up to send a curse right back to Rose. Ok scratch the theatrical part, Melvin wins by default because his entire life is a stage. I sigh and continue to stare at the three idiots in front of me.


	3. Chapter 3

"Don't look at me like that; it's not my fault you lost." I murmur quietly to Scorpius as we sit in the library the next day. He's livid to say the least. "I've told you time and time again not to get on Rose's bad side, but do you listen to me? No, no you don't and now look at you. You can't speak." I indicate and point to his scowling mouth. Scorpious pulls out a sheet of parchment and roughly slams it on the table in front of us grabbing a quill and narrowing his grey eyes at me before he begins to scribble something.

**'I hate you.'** I look up from the parchment he just shoved at me and see Scorpius nodding emphatically. I take my own quill out to write. Might as well, it's not like Madame Pince let's you talk in the library anyway or breath loudly for that matter. All in all it's basically a 'no-fun zone' because of that awful woman.

_'Serves you right.'_ I write back in my messy scrawl.

**'You could have warned me before I volunteered like an idiot. I thought I was going to win that stupid duel.'**

_'Bet you don't like Rose now. I mean losing a duel to a girl is one thing, but her leaving that curse on you for 24 hours because you lost is just madness. I bet you think she's a cruel, heartless, sadistic-' _Scorpius rips the parchment from my hands and writes furiously on it covering it with his elbow so I can't see until he hands it to me proudly with a smug smile on his face. Somehow I know I won't like whatever he's written.

**'Don't get you hopes up. I still like her, Albus. In fact, her beating me was down right sexy and this curse isn't all that bad I suppose.'**

I stare at him with incredulity. What in the hell was wrong with him? HE THOUGHT SHE WAS SEXY AFTER SHE SLAUGHTERED HIS MANHOOD? Did he get hit with a curse to the head or was he just plain stupid?

_'Um… HUH?! Could you at least attempt to explain your previous statement?'_ I hand the parchment back to Scorpius and he purses his lips. With a sigh he leans over and starts to write what looks like a novel. I cross my arms tightly over my chest and impatiently tap my foot. I hate waiting for things. I let my eyes roam around the library unconsciously, I just zone out and then this _voice _catches my fancy and instantly my ears perk up. I swivel around frantically and narrow in on where that fantastic noise is coming from; some where behind the bookcases. I can vaguely make out in between the cracks of the shelves two shapes walking down the aisle.

"What about that section?" the harmonious voice floats out. I can barely explain what it sounds like, but if I had to compare it, it would be like drinking a butterbeer after a lifetime of tasteless water. An explosion of flavor for my ears after having to listen to all these dull, unsavory tones all of my life. There was something about it I couldn't pinpoint, but her voice was downright _magical_. The sad thing was, this mystery girl had only said four words.

"That's the Forbidden Section; younger students are not allowed to go in there unless they have a written note from a professor." A croaky voice barked out sharply. Now that voice was familiar. Too familiar; that voice belonged to Madame Pince and as if she knew I called her name or something she turned around the end of a book case to come to a stop only a few feet from me, directly in my line of sight. Out of my peripheral vision I saw Scorpius stop his incessant writing to scratch his head and then scratch out everything he had just written down. If I wasn't so intent on Madame Pince's companion coming out of the aisle right after her, I probably would have made fun of my mate. Alas though, he was reprieved as the girl emerged.

Instinctively, I knew this was the girl with that bizarre melodious voice. I have no idea why. The girl rubs her eyes as if she's tired and I notice that she had that strange beauty about her; she was striking, but not gorgeous. Her features seemed to be jumbled like they didn't know that they didn't match each other. She had big, round blue eyes and a thin mouth that was curved up in a smile at the moment. Her cheek bones coiled around her face making her look feline and somewhat coy. However, if I had to choose the thing that shocked me the most, it had to be her hair. It wasn't the fact that it was silky or that it was in a long elegant braid coming over her shoulder. No, the thing that was absolutely jaw-dropping was that her hair was silver. Literally, the color of spoon, and it was so dazzling. It shined brightly in the low-lighted library making me squint my eyes. I'd hate to see her out in the sun. Her hair might blind me. It was like fucking metallic.

Scorpius chooses this exact moment, the moment that I'm reveling in the strangeness of this girl, to push the piece of parchment back towards me. It's dripping in ink and about half the page is scratched out only leaving a tiny margin left to write on.

**'Rose will have to do a lot worse for me to stop liking her. The chase is on.'**

My thoughts are so messed up I have to read the line like eight times before I can come up with this clever response.

_'Ok.'_ I let Scorpius read the paper and continued to stare at the strange girl. She wasn't a student… she wasn't wearing the traditional Hogwart's robes, but then who was she?

**'Who's that?'** Scorpius writes sloppily on the corner of the age. He had leaned over the table to write it and he now pointed to the exact girl I was staring at. I merely shrug my shoulders.

_'How the hell should I know?'_

'**Let's call her over.'**

___'NO-'_ It was too late, I had barely penned my answer before Scorpius whistled her over. Well, it wasn't really a whistle it was more of a gush of air and maybe a second of a high pitched sound, nonetheless effective as it got the girl's attention… and Madame Pince's.

"Do you boy's need help?" Madame Pince asks us with wary eyes after she had walked over to our table dragging the girl with her. Metallic girl didn't look that pleased. For some reason this irritates me. She hardly knows us and already she's going to act like Scorpius and I are a hazard? I mean, I understand Madame Pince's reaction because let's face it, Scorpius and I in a library hardly mix well together. And Madame Pince acts like the library is her baby, her own dusty, book-filled, entirely-to-silent, baby. Then it hits me. Maybe, she does know us already. Maybe she knows _exactly_ who I am and has contorted her face to display her evident dislike for me. I think that's hardly fair, it's probably the truth whatever she's thinking about, but she shouldn't access me on simply my name and what other's say about me. If everyone did that, well…. Oh wait everyone already does don't they? Ok, so she's normal; there's nothing all that peculiar about her then. Well, I guess I'll just be myself, an asshole.

_'Yes, we were wondering if you could help us find a delightful book. One that will enlarge our minds with pleasant thoughts and upbraiding morals.'_ I scribble hastily on the side of the parchment, writing sideways and messy.

"I can't read that." Madame Pince croaks to us and strains her eyes coming within a hair of her nose touching the paper. "Why can't you just tell me what you want?" The old librarian pulls back a little to stare me down.

_'We've momentarily been rendered speechless by your beauty.' _I scrawl that down right under the line I wrote before and hand it to the woman with a sinister smile. The metallic girl reads the line and raises her thin upper lip in agitation. She doesn't even look back at me. She just crosses her arms and turns towards the books with a look of endless boredom and loathing. I wrinkle my nose at her evident display of caring for me and my sarcastic wit.

"I can't read this. Here," Madame Pince shoves the paper into the crossed arms of metallic girl taking her by surprise at this sudden movement. "you help them. I'm going to catalog the new books. My knee is acting up again." Just to show how much she truly wanted everyone to believe that her knee was in fact acting up, and she wasn't just making an excuse, Madame Pince walked off with a limp. A limp I'd bet my life savings on that she had not had mere moments before when she'd walked over here.

Metallic girl did not look happy when I turned towards her. She looked between me and Scorpius and at her gaze my blonde-haired friend pointed to a chair in between him and I. She acquiesced our request and sat down at the table. She got straight to the point.

_**'**__**What book do you need**__**?'**_ I was stunned. She had turned the parchment around and had written on it just like us. Why wouldn't she talk? Dammnit, she was playing the game that I had started and really, she had the upper hand because well I wanted to hear her talk. Her voice could knock anyone to the ground in sheer ecstasy.

Oh well, I loved challenges. I hardly ever got to face any so maybe this is good for me, besides she had nice handwriting anyway. Her swirly scrawl curled in such strange ways it looked as if she was underlining every individual letter. This girl was interesting. I decided I wanted to find out about her. That was a strange declaration for me to make. Normally I really could care less about people; they just weren't that interesting anyway. If you've heard one compliment you've heard them all. I've hardly ever heard anyone utter an original sentence to me. The only person that comes close is Scorpius and even he sometimes slips up and says something so generic it makes my head want to explode in anger. Seriously, here's an example, if I hear 'Wow, you really are a mirror image of your dad! Great man, that Harry Potter.' One more time I might lose.

Correction. I _will_ lose it.

_'Forget the book, who are you?'_ I relinquish the parchment to her and she reads it with raised eyebrows. Then she goes to write in her same odd fashion.

_**'**__**Who am I? Who are you? Why in the world are you so goddamn nosy?**__**' **_I read her message and bark out a short laugh. Scorpius motions to me to hand him the paper so he can read. I oblige and Scorpius upon reading it gives the girl a cock of his head. He's amazed too. Did she really not know who I was? I doubt it highly.

**'Don't play dumb.'**

_**'**__**I'm not playing anything besides this ridiculous game of ring around the rosy with a piece of parchment. Honestly, please find something better to do than waste my time. It annoys me.**__**'**_ I read the parchment first as we've sort of designed this little circle thing going on where the parchment goes from me to Scorpius to metallic girl to me again. The message was funny because she's found exactly what I wanted to do dead on. I was aiming to annoy her. She's perceptive. She must have a brain behind those round blue eyes and unnatural color hair. I'm intrigued. I'll bite.

_'I'm Albus Potter. There, I'm giving you some trust. I'll follow along for now.'_

**'Scorpius Malfoy, I stand firm over on this end though. I don't buy it.'**

_**'**__**I've no idea what you both are talking about. You called me over here. You'd think that both of you knew me, not the other way around. I sure as hell didn't invite myself to sit here. I'm forced to be in your company. So don't pretend like I'm the bad guy in this situation.**__**'**_

I get the parchment back and I'm amazed. I, Albus S. Potter, am amazed. This doesn't happen quite often. I don't get back talk, I really don't She was spunky. She could hang with every word I threw at her and maybe even get a little dig in. I like it. I don't think it's a good idea to let her know that though.

'_This is true. Don't be so feisty though. We're only out to protect ourselves. You still haven't told us your name and we don't force other's to do anything they don't already want to do.'_

I pass the paper off to my mate and he looks slightly miffed at metallic girls' comment as well. He bends over writing meticulously before handing it off to her. Metallic girl gets the parchment and lowers her eyebrows as if she's trying to think hard. I didn't know it took quite so much brain power to think of your own name, but alas some people will not share my intelligence level. Should I mock them? Naturally. Then again, those people probably don't share my good fortune as to _share_ a name with infamous deceased men. Should I fault them for not having depressing ways to remember their own name? It's debatable.

I finally get the paper back after quite a long time and I peer down. I'm actually eager to read the contents.

'**We only want the truth. We hate liars. We invited you because we were curious and wanted to know the truth about you. If we wanted lies we would have made up rumors about you and not be bothered to actually care if they were real or not.'** I laugh and read on. Scorpius was a character. So what did Miss I-Have-A-Remark-For-Everything have to say about that little memo?

'_**I'm Beulah. I'm the new assistant librarian. My aunt's retiring after this year. Just so you know, I'm only telling you both these things so, #1 You'll stop calling me a liar. I despise being called that, and #2 so you really won't make up lies about me. From what I gathered on the front of this parchment I wouldn't put it past the both of you. You're relentless it seems. I feel sorry for whoever this Rose may be and this is the last little round of this parchment being passed around. I need to get back to work. So get the questions and jokes out now. I know you've probably got a few nasty comments about my being a librarian. Let's just hear them so you can get it out of your system.**__**'**_

I simply smiled. It's funny, she hadn't even heard me speak yet and she could gauge my character. She even knew how sarcastic I was being on paper and she'd only known me for three minutes maybe. She'd even had the sense to read Scorpius and I's previous conversation. I don't even think I gave this girl enough credit. It was completely rude; it was completely something I would do.

'_How do you know so much?-'_ I couldn't get past that line. I'm sure there were a million questions I could have asked her and maybe she would have answered them truthfully, maybe not, but I couldn't seem to find anything else in my scrambled brain to put down. No girl had ever made me this inept.

Scorpius felt like he took ten years off my life. He kept writing, and writing, and writing and I thought he'd never stop. Beulah seemed to even get a bit shifty, but eventually the paper was passed to her. She must have only read my line first because she looked up almost as soon as she got the parchment, honest curiosity flashing in her eyes before peering back down to read the rest of what Scorpius wrote. It didn't take her that long to answer though and as soon as she was done she stood up and walked off. Just like that. Like she'd never even been here. Scorpius and I grabbed the parchment at the same time and we conked our heads together to each get a better look at her answers.

'**How do you even say that name? Assistant librarian? Please, tell me you didn't pick this job willingly. Who's your aunt? You like touching dusty, cursed books? How do you not get a headache looking through everything? Why in the world is you hair silvery whitish grey? How come we've never seen you here? Have you graduated a while ago? You don't look very old, well besides you're hair having a bit of grey in it. How old are you?'**

I stare at my mate. He must have felt my eyes on him because he looks up from the parchment. He twists his face as if to say '_What?_'

"Why don't you just ask her for the core of her wand, her birthday, and how many kids she plans on having while you were at it?" I sneer out and Scorpius only laughs. He points to her answer.

'_**Merlin, I didn't know I was walking into an interrogation table. Are you the Hogwart's student police? Why don't you just ask me the day I was born and my family tree, or my wand core while you're at it? My name isn't that hard to pronounce. It's BAY-LAH. I didn't know that would be such a problem? I didn't pick this job willingly. My aunt is Madame Pince. I know, I know what you're thinking, she can be really sweet though. She just doesn't like pestering teenagers. I won't mention names at this point. I do like books, I just don't fancy organizing them. As I said I didn't pick this job. I don't get headaches. My hair is my hair, why is yours that blonde color? I've never graduated from here. I most certainly am not that old. I can't help what color my hair is. I'm seventeen and the most probable cause that I've never been to Hogwart's is because I'm a squib.**__**'**_

"Well, she was candid." I comment and stare at the last word on the paper. A squib? Was she serious, I was so sure her voice was deeply magical? It had a strange lull to it like it pulled me from somewhere behind my navel towards her. I wouldn't have ever guessed. Does it make me a horrible person if I said I was slightly less attracted to her? Only slightly though. Like I said before, I was still intrigued by her. She was blunt, honest, and genuinely grounded. But, if she was a squib, she'd have heard about the famous Harry Potter. She'd have learned about my father and me because her family was magical, only she wasn't. So maybe she'd not so candid after all.

The only thing I knew for sure about this girl was that I was impressed. I found I wanted to know something I had never cared about before and that was her personality.

'**You should thank me.'** Scorpius writes after we sit in silence a few moments. We should be getting to class like everyone else, but I can only stare stupidly at the students around us getting up to walk out the library.

"Why's that?" I ask not particularly caring for the answer. I just thought I'd try him and see what he would say, or write really.

'**I've just found your soul mate.'** I look to him in confusion. My soul mate? I wouldn't even bother wasting my breath on how ridiculous that sounded or how ridiculous it actually _was _believing in something like that.

"I don't think so."

'**I bet you she is. You like her.'**

"I like a lot of girls. That doesn't make her special, besides she's not interested." I tell him dryly and he grabs the nearly spent parchment out of my hand. I'm seriously wondering where he's going to write because it's completely out of space. Low and behold though, Scorpius finds a spot and he hands me it back.

'**Is Albus turning down a quest? Are you scared this one girl will tell you no? I bet that's it. I bet you can't get her. Why not just try her? She's nearly as mean as you are and that's saying something.'**

I look up at his smug face. I can think of only one thing I want to do with his ego and that's puncture it with a relatively large needle.

"Stakes for that bet?" I ask quietly. He holds out his hand for me to give him back the parchment. I really doubt at this point that there is even a scratch of bare paper for him to write. Seriously.

'**You win and prove she isn't a girl that can match you, then I'll give up on Rose. If I win, well you give me your blessing for Rose and I to date. It's only fair and if you don't even try with her then I win by default.'**

I think about it for a moment. I think my judgment was pretty accurate. I like this girl, but it was nothing more than that. She was just interesting and I could spare a few dates with her. It was more than I can say for what I thought about others so maybe Scorpius had a point. _Maybe_, but I'm pretty infallible. The one thing I don't like is Malfoy dating my cousin. It makes me shiver visibly because I've seen the way he treats his other girlfriends. It's not like he's ridiculously mean to them, but he's not particularly nice either and why would I want Rose to go through that? I actually liked Rose as my cousin. If it was my Uncle Bill's daughter Dominique, who was in seventh year and fawned over Scorpius, if she was the one Scorpius wanted then I would have given him the green light ages ago because that girl is a crazy psycho and I couldn't _stand_ her. Nothing at all like level-headed, goal-oriented Rose. Maybe that would play to my advantage though. Maybe Rose knew Scorpius was bad for her and so she wouldn't date him. This pleased me. After all she could take care of herself, look at what she'd already done to him. The boy couldn't even talk.

"It's a deal, but" I shake Scorpius' hand and tighten my grip as I say these next few words "if you win and date her you watch your step. You hurt her and I couldn't care less that we've shared six wonderful years of friendship or many drunken nights together occasionally waking up embarrassed in the same bed or the fact that you're the only person in the universe I can tolerate. She's my cousin and she comes first."

Scorpius looks taken aback for a moment, but he recovers and pulls a completely new, blank sheet of parchment out to write.

**'Don't worry she's safe with me. I have to win first thought don't I? Come on let's got to class.'** Just like that, Scorpius picks up the two pieces of parchments, throws them away, and sets off. Sometimes I don't understand my mate. One of those times would definitely be now, as he just wrote maybe ten words on a completely brand new sheet of paper and then he gets rid of it. I follow along without saying a word though many funny responses pop in my head; the only thing I tell him when I finally catch up is…

"So, how much longer is this curse still effective? Oh that's right you can't talk can you? I don't think you know how much you've just screwed yourself. You can't reach her."

Scorpius shrugs and picks up his pace. Needless to say he doesn't save me a seat in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He places himself next to Rose, much to her uneasiness. I slip into the corner and brood. Crap.


	4. Chapter 4

Scorpious' POV

_Scorpious' POV_

I was in. Sure, I was balancing on the edge of a knife to get this 'in', but where's life without a little risk? Now, if only I could pull this off. I've spent years watching Rose Weasley out of the corner of my eye. Not intentionally at first, of course, in the beginning she was just this strange girl that happened to be related to Albus. He sought her out for advice because he claimed she was the only smart, unpsychotic one in the Weasley clan. Even excluding himself. I wasn't sold on the idea. What could this small, auburn-haired, know-it-all have that fascinated Albus so much. Why was she so special?

Then I met her.

She was quiet and shy at first when she saw me, but then the talking began and she gained momentum. How can you sum up Rose Weasley in words? At eleven I didn't like how such a loud voice could come out of a small thing like her. She didn't appeal to me in the least. She was bossy and up in your face all the time when she wanted to be whenever she felt like it. Throughout that year I'd heard whispers about Albus and I. I had girls talked to me purely to get their names in the Hogwart's gossip mill. It was down right ridiculous, yet we lapped it up. We were naïve.

It increased as we got older. Then it got to the point where it was just downright ludicrous and degrading to my own self-respect. Yet, for all the fame and followers we acquired Rose never followed us around once. Never even tried to ride on our coattails once unlike all the others. She could have, I mean I would have understood. Albus was her cousin and all, she had a right to if she wanted, but she didn't. She couldn't have given a damn about what Albus and I pulled or what we were doing at the moment. She was just there when we needed her, with her own different set of friends whenever we wanted to escape the hectic life of living in the fast lane just for the time being.

It was then, around fourth year, when I developed my temper. Rose came back from the summer with clearer, shimmering skin. Her hair had become sleek not the wild mess of tangles that she had up until recently adorned. Her body had filled out, she'd become taller with legs and everything else I can only imagine. She had always had a bright mind and strong personality, but with her new beauty she now rivaled her veela cousin, Dominique. Now that's saying something. Then the queue of boyfriends came, right around the time that I could be found hitting the roof at odd points in time preferably whenever Rose had a date. I wonder if anyone else noticed the peculiar times I always happened to throw a fit?

I couldn't identify the jealousy at first. It seemed absurd to me that I should care; mind you I hadn't really thought about Rose much in the past four years, so it puzzled me for a good while. It still didn't click.

I watched. I watched _them_ all come and go. It was easier than you can imagine as Albus thought I was just spying for him, he didn't like it her popularity too much either, but really I was spying for my own personal pleasure. I didn't really think about why I became so happy when each boy failed to meet her expectations. I only knew that none were ever good enough for someone like her. Rose cared deeply about each of her boyfriends, no matter what happened to them. She was just like that. She was just a people person. She loved to help others. She loved to share anything she knew on any subject. She had opinions, goals, and dreams. That was downright sexy.

Then one night I saw her in the Astronomy Tower. Her head leaned against Michael, a sixth year prefect at the time. He leaned down to press a chaste kiss against her forehead. He whispered in her hair as he stroked her side that she was the most amazing person he'd ever met and that he was lucky to have her and, here's the kicker, that he loved her.

I saw only red and felt the surge of rage rise in me as I reached for my wand only to have Albus drag me back and away from the corridor.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Albus questioned me breathlessly as I yanked my arms away from him once we were out of earshot. I was seething and tried to find a way around back to the doorway. To no avail. "He's not doing anything! He's only treating her like he should." Albus was fighting me back pushing me once, twice, before grabbing my collar to look me in the eye.

"Did you hear him? Are you going to let him say those things?" I cried in near hysteria. I was in disbelief I couldn't believe this kid was saying those things to her when clearly none of it was the truth. It wasn't! It just couldn't be!

"Why can't he say that he loves her? Maybe he does." Albus shrugs nonchalantly. I only gape at him. "What? Why can't she be loved by him? It's not as if _you'll_ love her. Rose deserves happiness." Albus finishes before beckoning me to walk off with him. I only gape some more.

I searched somewhere deep within myself in those few seconds. I really did. Then things flashed before me. Pieces fell into place. Rose how she loves to tuck her hair behind her ear. Rose when she yells at me for being an idiot, putting me in my place. Rose when she knows something already and lets her hand sail into the air to answer the question from the professor. Rose when she laughs in a weird menacing way that use to frighten me, but now only makes me smile fondly. Rose when she looks at me and she is truly interested in what I have to say. It's for all that, when I finally understood how much I knew about this girl from just watching her, that I realized I was truly, completely, smitten with her. I hadn't spotted it in my non-existent eleven year old brain, but she was the girl that I wanted. That I needed. That scared me to no end. Yet she was there. A constant when I didn't even think my unstable life even had a consistent thing in it.

And for all that, I loved Rose Weasley. And I told her cousin Albus Potter.

He didn't believe me. He still doesn't, I can see it in his eyes even two years later. It's a shame. I declare my love for Rose and Albus makes me swear to not touch her. How is life fair? It isn't, but what could I do? I had to choose between Albus' happiness or mine. Generally, I'm a selfish person, but no matter what, I could never betray my best friend. He suffers already. Well, I suffer too, but I'd rather be unhappy than him. I'll live through it and I do. I date girls. I hate who I date, but it's the hand I've been dealt and I'm dealing with it the best way I know how.

Then this opportunity. This golden opportunity arises. Thank Merlin that I've finally found the one chink in Albus' unbreakable armor. _Being put in his place._ He hates it. Despises it. Doesn't like being told what to do. In fact he tells others what to do. Does he know that he does this? Maybe… but I'll use it against him all the same. I can't thank fate enough for sending me this girl, Beulah. She was a whizzing bludger I hadn't seen coming, but I'll take what I can get and help Albus out in the process. I don't think he can see how self-destructive his behavior is becoming. I know I'm not the perfect person to preach to him, but even I know that it's time to grow up. We're half-way through sixth year for Merlin's sake.

I think this is the girl to do it. She was different. Well, she was slightly older, but I think Albus likes her. So I'm helping us all out in this situation. Now I just have to get Rose to see it my way. Maybe I'm starting a little early with my plan. I mean I am being a little bit too optimistic here thinking that Beulah will be 100 percent effective on Albus, but then again I've waited long enough. I decide to take immediate action.

"Hello Rose" I lower my voice a little and grin at the girl seated on a bright red chair in the Gryffindor common room. Her hair clashes with it terribly.

"Scorpius? How did you get in here?" Rose questions as the smile on her face falters and dies upon spying me. Wonderful, I'm really starting out well here.

"Lily" I respond in non-chalance and wave my hand as if I just casually throw away the question. It was actually a hassle to get that damn password from her. Only one thing worked on her. Bribery. Rose and I stare at each other and one of her friend's clears their throat in the uncomfortable, awkward silence.

"So, Lily let you in, but why are you in here?" Rose continues still struggling to pull together why I'm in here in her mind. She hasn't gotten it yet and it's been three years of harmless flirting banter back and forth. I haven't openly declared myself to her, but it she really that dense?

"I really needed to ask you something…." A girl to her left giggles slightly and I can just feel this conversation spiraling downwards at maximum velocity. I was crashing and burning. "…about potions!" I invent wildly.

"Potions?" she repeats flatly and gives a sideways glance to the giggling girl. "Did you bring your book?"

"Well, no" I stutter out and start to loosen my tie a bit. Is it unnaturally hot in here or is it just me? "I left it in my dorm. Do you want to come get it with me?"

"Why would I want to do that?" She echoes dumbfounded and shudders. "The dungeons scare me as it is. I wouldn't spend unnecessary time down there. Did you know that there it less oxygen-"

"Humor me, Rose." I state firmly and her eyes widen marginally. Her face blanks out still trying to comprehend that I interrupted her. I clasp my hands behind my back and wait patiently for her answer. I'll never admit it, but I had my fingers crossed.

Good luck held and Rose simply shrugged numbly before getting up to follow me. She left a large gap in between us. Not a good sign of trust there.

"So what do you need help on? Is it the reaction boomslang skin has with copper cauldrons? That confused me as well at first because…" Rose prattled off. I think she was nervous, but I'm not sure. I'd seen her do this sometimes with other boys she liked, but she was never this high-strung. For instance when I made a move to close the distance between us she just fell to the ground in a heap and pretended to tie her shoe. The situation was unnerving and uncomfortable. By the time we got down to the Slytherin Common room I had heard just about every use for lacewings you can imagine.

"Here we are." I told her and walked through the entrance after spitting out the password. She hesitated only for a moment before strutting in before me with her head held high. I only chuckled and followed.

Most Slytherins didn't bother with looking at us. Sure, it was uncommon for Gryffindors to be in our headquarters, but not unheard of.

"Wait here." I motion for her to take a seat on a long chaise and I run upstairs to grab my book and come back down within seconds. Rose had made herself comfortable by laying low in the chaise. Her body covered by the tall back of the couch. Rose might have looked like she was about to seduce me except for the expression on her face. She was frightened.

"I've never like the dungeons." She tells me warily before looking around the musty room.

"Yes, you've made that quite clear." I comment politely before sinking down opposite to her. I open the book and flip to a random page. I shut the book with a snap immediately.

"Here's the thing" I say swiftly as I look up to see her awe-struck face "I like you." I'll admit, it's a bit of an understatement, but I don't want to scare the poor girl.

"W-what?" She stumbles out and sits up on her elbows. Her long hair falls all around, her hair color fits much better with the light green furniture in here.

"You heard me."

"This is a joke right? Albus put you up to this, yeah?" Rose comments dryly and looks around for him. "Ha ha really funny, you almost had me fooled." Rose tells to the non-existent Albus, really she's talking to air.

"This isn't a joke, Rose." I tell her slightly hurt. I let the emotion show on my face. She doesn't believe it.

"Scorpius, we don't match." She enunciates. Ouch, that stings. "We shouldn't play around like this." She points to the both of us and makes to leave.

"You really think this is a big prank?" I ask in disbelief. She narrows her eyes and leaves her mouth parted slightly.

"Isn't it?" Rose asks me in all seriousness.

"Umm… no."

"Don't" she warns

"Don't what?" I bite out in frustration as she stands and backs away from me. I get up as well and watch her cautiously. Rose looks like she's about to make a break for it.

"Leave me alone." She commands. I've never seen her quite this unsure. She looks like a wild animal on the run from a predator. Normally Rose's so sure-footed and level headed. It was as if I'd sent her sprawling on her back with a boulder strapped to her and she couldn't get up.

Rose scrambled away from me and just my luck as she went to remove herself from the common room Albus walked in the door and into her. He looked in a right mood.

"Rose?" he looks at her through his green eyes and holds her gently by the shoulders.

"How could you?" I hear her question him with a meek voice and Albus' gaze finds mine. I'm utterly confused. What just happened again? I did not think she was going to act like _this_. This was madness.

"What did you do?" Albus demands of me and Rose takes those few moments to leave our present company. She's gone in a flash and I'm struck dumb.

"Nothing!" I protest but he doesn't believe me.

"You told her something." He pushes and walks towards me with folded arms.

"I just told her I liked her. That's all I swear. I didn't ask her for anything. Not even a date." I blurt out honestly and Albus' dark face lightens up as he sighs out in frustration.

"You haven't won the bet yet." He tells me pointedly and falls in the same chair Rose just recently vacated.

"What the hell just happened?" I inquire to his resting form.

"You really want to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

Albus sits up and presses against his temples with his fingers. "The thing is," He points his palm face up to me, gesturing as he explains "and I promised Rose I would never tell you this, but well she liked you." I look at Albus in shock for a whole five minutes. Was he serious?

Apparently.

_"What?"_ I screech and jump up a little in my seat just to add to the effect. I liked to be a little dramatic every once in a while, but this situation definitely called for me to pull out the dramatics.

"I know. I know." Albus compensates "It was back in first year." I squint and try to remember any types of hints she might have given off. I could think of none.

"I didn't know!" I object. Albus just holds up his hand to stop me.

"Look, she didn't want you to know. The only reason I even knew was because I caught her staring at you one time. When you didn't even pay the slightest bit of attention to her back then, well, you sort of hurt her, badly. She was torn up about it. She made me swear up and down never to mention it to anyone. It's why I wouldn't let you date her. It was the saddest I've ever seen her the day you kissed Melinda Baker down by the lake." Albus pointed out and that scene flashed before my eyes. I wanted to vomit. It was so unfair that I would loose out on love because of one girl who turned out to be a really bad kisser and my unperceptive eleven year old self.

I sank back in the cushions unable to open my mouth for fear of my voice cracking in agony.

"I know" Albus nodded along with me as if he could follow my train of thought. "It sucks." We sit there for longer than I care to know.

I finally speak. I couldn't stand the silence anymore. "How's the librarian quest?" I don't really think I care. What was the point of this bet now?

"Shitty." He replies and sulks as he leans his head on his fist. I can't help, but feel that's a perfect adjective to describe this day.


	5. Chapter 5

Time's a funny thing

Time's a funny thing. Sometimes it passes slowly other times it seems like you can't catch up with things no matter what you do. For instance, I was experiencing the latter right now.

"If you don't make a move soon I'm placing a time limit on this bet." Scorpius tells me as we sit in the library once again. He's in quite a mood.

I sigh in frustration and watch Beulah help a couple of first years pick out which books to use on their homework.

"Fine." I snap and follow the silver-haired girl into the librarian's office. I'm almost positive I'm not supposed to be in here.

"Albus, you can't be in here." See, I knew I was right. It's pretty much a guarantee I'll always be right, but I'll do what I please, I suppose.

"I know, but I am and you remembered my name. I'm impressed." I reply smoothly and walk over to sit on a little creaky wooden chair on the opposite side of the tiny desk.

"You've been following me for the past two weeks. Even my Aunt has started to notice how you've hovered around the library. How could I not know your name?" Beulah replies both unimpressed and unenthusiastically.

I take in her stance. She's as far away from me as humanly possible with her arms folded. If I were smart I'd walk out the room right now and wait a while before salvaging what I have left of this shitty pursuit, if you could even call it that. But see, that's retreating and giving up. I don't do giving up.

"Albus Potter is a famous name anyway. I'm famous, don't you know that?" I pull out that from no where. I don't even know why I said that, but her face drains of any emotion, if at all that was possible because her face barely had any to begin with.

"I couldn't care less." Beulah tells me flatly and tries to push pass me. I jump out of my chair faster than even I thought likely and lock the door with a flick of my wand. Beulah slams into the closed door with clenched fists. She waits a moment or two before turning towards me slowly with a menacing look, like an encroaching tiger. Her blue eyes pop out and give me a fierce once over. "Unlock it." She growls and this might sound a little sick and demented but I was getting turned on. The raw energy she was emanating was pulsing through the room. I just wanted to grab her and force her lips to mine. It shocked me. I was _feeling_. I was experiencing some sort of emotion. It annoyed me beyond belief.

"Why don't you like me?" I ask in a moment of brutal honesty something that always came out when I was around this girl. That irked me as well. I should just make a list of the things that _don't_ irritate me to an early death.

"You are a prat." She spits out and leans against the door so I can't touch her. "I am a member of the staff at this facility. This couldn't happen anyway." She motions between us and I finally stop.

"So? You're nearly the same age as me." I cock my head to the side and narrow my eyes on her before giving her my devilishly handsome smile. "At least you're taking the first step in admitting to yourself your attraction for me. If rules are the only thing stopping you-"

"Believe me when I tell you that you are _delusional_. I have a boyfriend. Why don't you think beyond yourself for once and realize that not every girl is single just because _you_ are single." She cries in outrage and pulls this face. This ridiculous repulsed face. Was she repulsed by me? Surely not, I've never been repelled by _anyone_.

"Sure you do." I mock with false solemnity and move towards her ever so slowly.

"You really think your something don't you?" Beulah tells me with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. She didn't look the least bit impressed by my over-the-top flirting. I know for a fact that if I wasn't keeping her trapped in this room she would have been all the way on the other side of the castle by this point.

"It's ok, I give you permission to touch me." I smirk, so near Beulah now that I can smell her, a deep delicious ginger scent fills my nostrils. She gapes openly at me in surprise. Then she pushes me, _hard_. I mean first of all I didn't expect her to do that, second of all I had no idea she was so strong and fast. It only took her mere moments to screw up her face in a fierce glare and shove hard against my chest. I flail stupidly and fall on my ass, very ungracefully.

"Let. Me. Out." She grinds out only inches away from my face. When the hell did she have time to move?! Merlin, she was fast. I stutter stupidly and reach for my wand reflexively. Quite frankly, this girl is freaking me out.

"Fine." I mutter the incantation and she sweeps briskly out the door. Not even bothering to see if I'm all right. And I'm really not ok. My ass hurts. I think I bruised it, but how in the hell can I explain this one to Madame Pomfrey?

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fu-"

"Ok Stop." Rose tells me and grabs me on my shoulder from behind. I immediately stop kicking the brick wall and turn around to face a horde of students eyeing me suspiciously. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm kicking a brick wall." I tell Rose and her friend, standing a few feet back from me, flatly.

Rose's face screws up into a half-surprised, half-amused expression. "Why are you doing that?"

"Hopefully, I'll break my foot and then I'll have a good excuse for Madame Pomfrey to check out my ass." I respond shrugging somewhat before leaning against the wall.

"Oh, so you've finally decided that students weren't enough? You have to hit on teachers too?" Rose states openly. There's a mysterious glint in her eye. I can't tell if she's still mad at me and she has an alternative motive for talking to me or she's being the Rose I love and care about. Besides even if she was being the latter I would never ever tell her how close she's hit the mark with that statement. I was going after a certain staff member, maybe not a teacher in particular, but I sure as hell wasn't going to hit on Madame Pomfrey. That old hag, ew.

"I meant I've bruised my ass and so if I break my foot I can tell her plausibly that I fell." I explain to her.

"But, you didn't fall." Rose points out. I think she's missing the point that plausible means 'a reason that seems truthful'. This roughly translates as being a wonderful liar. Trust Rose 'I'm-my-mother's-daughter' Weasley to not understand what constitutes a good lie.

"Never mind, Rose, never mind. Hey, where is everyone going?" I sigh and follow the crowd with my eyes.

"Hogsmeade today. Didn't you remember?" I look at her in disbelief. Would I ask such a statement if I had? Sometimes I just wonder why I even bother. "You can come with us if you want." She offers soundly and I glance back at her friend. The curly blonde girl is all smiles and I weigh my options. Yes, I do this quite frequently. If I go with them I might forget about Beulah and maybe like Rose's friend. If I don't well, I'll have a broken foot. I open my mouth to tell her the obvious choice when lo and behold the only person who can make Rose squirm walks through the door.

"Albus! What happened back there? I didn't see you walk back out the office. I've been looking for you everywhere, mate!" Scorpius says in a rush and in three long strides stops short when he spies Rose. I stare at the two of them in amazement. They're both idiots. I'm not saying I'm much better because after Beulah and I's argument that morning I slunk out the door with my tail in between my legs like a love-sick puppy who had been reprimanded. I was too much of a coward to face my best friend so I shouldn't rate their intelligence levels when mine is so very low.

"Hello" he murmurs in greeting. His grey eyes lock into her blue ones and she bites her bottom lip before taking a step back.

"I'll just see you down there, yeah?" She tells me hastily and her pleading eyes speak volumes to me. I sigh and nod. She disappears around the corner with the blonde girl.

"You sure can clear a corridor." I glare at Malfoy and he looks so downtrodden I don't rib him anymore.

"She really hates me?" He questions me shortly with large eyes and I grip him around the shoulders steering him towards the village.

"I'm going to give you advice." I tell him solemnly "If I were you, I would go for Dominique." He looks around wildly at me and his eyes squint in disgust.

"No." He states firmly. "It's her; it's got to be her."

"Your funeral mate. Your lonely funeral." I laugh quietly and he becomes silent for the rest of the way. We walk into the three broomsticks bringing with us the cool fall air. Scorpius walks hastily towards a booth near the window and I order us drinks.

"Drink up." I tell Scorpius as he stares out the window and into the bustling village streets. I take a sip of my own and frown prominently. He can't still be thinking about Rose, can he? He sighs and just fiddles with the handle of the butterbeer. Yes, yes he was. Ok first off it's not like he even won the bet yet, though with all the progress I've made I can see why he senses a victory easily and second off it is a common known fact that butterbeer solves all problems. It's just that good.

Scorpius takes a long swig of the drink and then bangs the empty tankard back down onto the table smacking his lips. See? I can just see his face lighting up in… confusion?

"Albus?" he asks me cautiously never taking his eyes from the window. "Isn't that Beulah?" I swivel my head around and sure enough I see her silver hair dancing around her face in the wind. She was bent over clutching her side because she was... laughing. That's odd? I've never seen her so happy? Beulah wasn't just laughing she was cracking up with a huge goofy grin on her face and goo-goo eyes looking at a boy. Er, well a man. Uh well he was sort of in between really. Maybe a few years older than me, but his face still held that soft youthful look. What the hell did this guy say to make her so excited? She really was genuinely gorgeous when frown lines didn't cloud her features. The boy swung their intertwined hands together in time with their steps walking off towards the end of the main road.

"Get up." I order Scorpius and drain my own glass.

"Nooo! Come on. I don't want to get up. Besides you have a jacket and I don't." Scorpius whines knowing exactly what I'm planning. He even stomps his feet for dramatic effect and to highlight his annoyance at me slams his fist on the table.

"I couldn't care if you were starkers we are following them. You made this dumb ass bet so now you're going to help me keep it." I whisper to him in a low voice as people around us start to stare. Way back in fourth year there were some rumors going around that Scorpius and I were a little bit…too close. If you catch my meaning. I'll admit freely that we are practically brothers, well more of a brother to me than my own, but when I heard those rumors I freaked out. Normally I wouldn't care, but it was interfering with my social life a bit. If girls think your gay then they come crying to you for advice rather than coming to you to date. Not pleasant and ever since then I've been highly aware of times when we sound like we actually _are_ a couple. Right now is a prime example.

"You know, technically I don't have to come with you. I'd just be helping you win and that's cheating." Scorpius disagrees, but rises anyway. Maybe he's sensing the weird vibes we're giving off too and has decided to take this outside.

"Oh my gosh! Cheating? You don't say? And please tell me, who are you going to rat us out to? Ourselves? You _stupid prat_, we're the ones that made the bet to begin with." I say in a high-false voice as we walk out. Fuck, I can only imagine what everyone in there thinks. Hell, whatever it is I'd probably be thinking the same thing about me too.

"Still, it's not like I want you to win." He yells to me over the breeze and I merely look back at him in disbelief.

"Yeah, because things are working out so wonderfully between you and Rose, right?"

"I'm making about the same, if not more progress on her than you are on Beulah. Hello, I'm almost positive it wasn't your ass she was grabbing back there on the street." Scorpius comments lightly pushing past me and a few first years to scramble to the left of the path.

"She did not grab his ass." I snarl at the back of his blonde head and I see Scorpius' shoulders shrug.

"If I were you, I'd be hoping that's the only thing she's touching." He tells me looking back with a smirk planted on his face for just a moment before veering off the road and into a large bush.

I follow him and he points hastily into the deserted Hogsmeade train station. I peer around the leaves and see something that makes me want to scratch my eyes out. Beulah was latched on by the mouth to her boy toy. Hot red anger shot through me, something I had no right to feel. After all, she did warn me she had a boyfriend and in my arrogance I dismissed it as her futile attempt to distract me and play hard to get. Huh, so I guess it was the truth.

"I'll miss you." She sighs in content and the couple doesn't break their gaze until the brown-haired boy steps lightly onto the train and disappears into a corridor. Moments later the train whistle blows and it chugs off into the vast green ocean of hills. It's not even out the bend before I jump out the bushes and compose my scowling facial features to ones of ease. Beulah turns around so fast to face me, she falls. Spread eagle on the ground. I press my hand over my mouth begging with myself, pleading, anything at all to suppress the laughter that's bubbling in my throat, but I can't. With a sudden burst of air my hand flies off my mouth and I start hacking out chortles of laughter.

"That wasn't funny." Beulah tells me in a deadly cold voice. She stands up and dusts her butt off regally. She sniffs at me and stoically starts to walk off down the path.

"Bea listen to me, can I call you Bea? Listen, I believe you ok. You've made your point maybe the male species finds you attractive, maybe you do tell the truth." I reason with her backside and suddenly she stops short. I bump straight into her.

"No, you may call me Beulah. I'm starting to think now that not only does the male species have an interest in me, but all the low lifes seem particularly fascinated." She delivers the line with venom as her hair blows around her profile making her seem heavenly like a postcard for an angel. There's just no way I can take her seriously like that.

"You mean that guy back there? Yeah he did seem like low life scum to me-"

"Talon is not scum!" she shrieks indignantly at me. Wheeling around to face me fully, head on. That's the first time in my life I have ever been frightened by a girl. Beulah looked positively demented. She heaved and her once angelic hair became a sort of violent, demonic weapon whipping around her now with a fierce vengeance. Her eyes spilled out a message of hate. Oh wow. I could swear I hear something crack in the distance. Maybe it she was subconsciously splintering my pride. Certainly seemed that way.

"It was a joke! Shit, I'm sorry ok, ok." I ease her back down gently holding my hands up in submission. "You win."

"Don't talk to me _ever_ again." She tells me in one ragged breath spinning wildly on her heels.

"Wait!" I yell at her retreating form. "I just want to be friends!" It wasn't a complete lie. It wasn't a complete truth either. I don't even have to tell you that she didn't turn around. You probably guessed it yourself. She loathed me. Scorpius came up behind me clapping his arm around my shoulder. "Ok, we'll chat later then, yeah?" I yell to Beulah's ever diminishing figure through cupped hands. She deems it necessary to give me a rude hand gesture in return. I can just barely make it out with my awful eyesight.

"She's a winner, mate." Scorpius tells me easily, nodding his head with assurance. I just gape at him stupidly. Truth was, I don't think I could ever break her. Never.


	6. Chapter 6

Scorpius' POV

Scorpius' POV

I weighed my options. If I talked to Rose now then maybe she wouldn't totally destroy me in front of everyone else. She tended to have a bit of a prideful streak to her so I'm not sure how much that will work and she did in fact nearly loose her head back in the common room when I confessed I liked her and it was crowded in there. So maybe that wasn't the best move maybe one on one time was what we needed.

"..and then I asked Beulah how fucking stupid did she think I was? Do you know what she said to me, Scorpius? She said pretty fucking stupid for chasing her as she had a boyfriend of two years. I mean what is that?" Albus rambles off into one of his rants that I've come to ignore completely now. Honestly, what's the point of a best friend if his only purpose in life is to annoy this girl and forget about me, the one who actually wants his attention for a moment or two? I think the best part of it all was that he was still going along with this bet. At first I was a bit frightened because she had a boyfriend, but really it couldn't have worked out any better because it only steeled Albus' resolve to win her over. Seriously.

I take in my friend's exasperated face and suddenly inspiration strikes hard. Maybe it wasn't one on one time I needed with Rose, maybe it was time for an Albus/Rose/Scorpius conversation. It was brilliant. He could talk her to see reason, I could swoon her with my devilish good looks and then all would be ok. Well, ok, even if all that fails, and if I crunch the numbers I think we're looking at a 96 chance it might, then the least Albus could do with his presence is to stop Rose's physical assault on me and the probability of that happening is the same as the plan failing. Now, how to make this work…

"Albus" I cut in roughly and he stops for a brief moment to swivel his gaze towards me "I need your help." I state plainly and look at him in earnest. His face doesn't give any sort of emotion away, in fact it doesn't move at all, he waits for me patiently to continue, so I do. "Would you come talk to Rose with me? She'll listen to you."

"Scorpius, you couldn't get her in the same room with you even if you tried. Let's talk about something realistic here." Albus snorts and leans farther back on his bed twirling his wand around his fingers.

"I'm being realistic." I tell him shortly "And I'll have you know that I followed Beulah with you, because I'm a brilliant friend."

"Then that makes you the fuckwit for listening to me."

"You're doing this." I forcefully tell him pointing my own wand at him from across the dorm room. He stops turning his wand momentarily to take in my armed and ready position.

"What's in it for me?" He asks casually and I throw him a disdainful look.

"Seriously?" I mutter. I can't believe he's being this big of a prick after all I do for him it's a wonder why I put up with it. Beulah must have him on the edge. That's when it hits me. Beulah was what he wanted and basically the only thing that tied Rose to me. Albus cocks his head at me with an evil smile. "You want me to talk to Beulah?" I ask him flatly and his grin only widens if that's at all possible. I sigh and hang my head in my hands. That's if the girl would at all even bother to listen.

"Excuse me; I was just wondering if you had this book in paperback?" I ask arching my body around a shelf to look down at the sitting form of a girl with unusually silver hair. I hold out the book over her head and when she finally lifts her face it isn't the book she looks at, it's me.

"I wonder if my aunt knew that this place is quite literally hell for me, like if I could imagine a hell this would be the setting and you would be the awful lackey for the main character."

"Oh and is the lackey going to swoop in and save the day then?" I ask casually holding out my hand to pull her to her feet. She gives me this blank look. Hm, well I suppose she didn't understand that one. I guess she wouldn't though as I don't think she knows quite yet that I'm here on Albus' behalf.

"Don't you know that sidekicks never save the day? What stories are you reading?" Beulah calls over her shoulder as she walks away in a graceful stride.

"Books are outdated anyway. I think it's time for a rewrite."

"I like books." She insists turning back around to face me head on and hand me exactly what I'm looking for. The exact book I had asked for. I hadn't even seen her grab the damn thing. I lift it up and pop it right back on the nearest shelf I can find. Beulah's face doesn't move an inch. She still wears this same bored expression, but for some reason her round eyes make her seem a lot more malicious than what she intends. "Why are you here? Don't play games with me." ok, then again, maybe not. I think she's looking exactly how she intends to. She wants to burn me alive with her evil stare.

"Fine, you've got me. I'm here for Albus." I raise my hands in mock surrender and she merely exhales loudly, sneering before sitting down at a nearby table. "Oh you'll hear me out?" I ask her genuinely surprised.

"I'd rather talk to you than him." She mutters into her hands and I follow suit taking a seat next to her.

"I don't think we're starting off on a good foot." I say quietly looking intently at her fist shaking with anger.

"We're lucky we're even starting off on a foot at all." Beulah retorts with a furious voice and I hold up one finger to pause the rant that I know is just coming. I've never met a person so bent on hating Albus Potter. All my life I've known people who fell over in mud to worship the ground he walked on. Needless to say I would have enjoyed that rant immensely at the moment, in particularly because I was beyond aggravated with him, but it would have to wait.

"I have a question before we start on him."

"Yes, him." Beulah squeezes in darkly, but I give her a look and she shrugs for me to continue.

"If you like books, then why in the world is the library you're setting for hell?" I ponder aloud to her and wait briefly for her response, which was both her eyebrows shooting up quickly. "I'm being honest." I protest innocently and pucker out my lips.

"It isn't the library I hate; it's where the library happens to be placed. I in fact love libraries."

"But not this one?"

"Precisely."

"Hm, how about that." I say aloud and scoot in closer to her to get started on the real reason I came to her tonight. "Look, Albus is a good guy." Beulah's jaw drops in disbelief at my statement. I don't blame her. "Well, he's a good friend." I amend and she's still looking at me skeptically.

"What does friendship have to with him and I?" She leers at me and suddenly I had a brilliant plan. Almost as brilliant as the bet.

"Albus wants to be friends with you." I tell her in the steadiest voice I can manage, because truthfully I might have to laugh at myself. Albus wanted nothing of the sort, but maybe if she got to know him, and how he is, she might like him. It might work, ok? There's no point in not trying any possible option I can think of, right?

"Albus does not want to be friends with me." Beulah tells me point-blank.

"He's willing to settle."

"This is not something you can negotiate!" Beulah cries in petulance and slams her hand on the table with frustration. "Besides, I don't want to be friends with _him_."

"That statement was overflowing with hypocrisy." I smile at her sweetly and she's completely baffled now. She sweeps her hair back behind her ear and calms herself for a moment.

"So, why am I the hypocrite then? Go on, tell me, because in the previous proclamation I've shown you how I've decided to throw all rules of etiquette out the window as Albus so eloquently does all day to everyone, everyday?" Beulah's tone rises with each word and her face gets redder with her absolute disgust at the thought of being anything remotely like Albus.

"Of course not, but you do think that you're above him. So much so as to not be his friend?" I question and lean in closer.

She splutters. "I most certainly do not think-"

"Ooh come off it. You do and don't bother to lie. You're so bad at it."

"_Fine_, you've got me. I think he's an absolute scoundrel, it still doesn't make me a hypocrite." Beulah tells me in a low voice leaning in so close now we're almost touching nose to nose. Her light eyelashes flutter with a determination as she realizes just how close we are. She doesn't flinch back though.

"At least he's honest about his feelings towards you. You accuse him of being awful to people yet you discriminate the same way, however not as loudly."

"I have manners." She protests

"He's just blunt." I force out and I can count out the few freckles she has on her face. Not many, maybe six smattered across the bridge of her small nose. Her eyes squint back at me as if accessing my own face.

"Friends then." She whispers finally meeting my eyes and from my peripheral vision I see a dark looming figure closing in on us. Beulah must have seen it to because she snaps her head sideways, her hair flinging itself into my mouth.

"Library is closed." Beulah states in a dead sort of voice.

"I'm so sorry. I just wanted to bring this book back before tomorrow because it's over-due." My heart freezes to ice at the small meager voice. I lean back and turn my head in the direction of the shadow.

"Rose?" I spit out the hair still sticking inside my mouth. I swat at it and Rose moves from her isolated darkness.

"So that's Rose? The one from our parchment chat?" Beulah says and quickly gives Rose a once over.

"I'm the only Rose in the entire school." Rose replies coldly to her, but Beulah only gives her a teasing laugh before looking from her to me.

"Don't worry I already have a boyfriend." Beulah assures Rose, her eyes are locked on my blanched face.

"What would _he_ think about this little rendezvous?" Rose questions icily.

"He trusts me." Beulah confirms finally looking towards Rose whose hair is propped up in an unruly ponytail. Her auburn hair spills over her face and I can't help but think how genuinely gorgeous she looks jealous. Wait a minute? She's jealous, over me?  
"That's a shame." Rose fires back quickly and gives me a look of loathing. Then again I don't exactly think I'm proving that I've changed. This is not helping my campaign. Oh the things I do for Albus Potter.

Beulah laughs out loud filling the vacant library with a musical giggle. She claps her hands together in delight and then stands up stretching out her long, lean body.

"I like her, she's fiery." Beulah tells me with a small slow wink. Rose's face drains of color and her fingers curl into claws.

"She isn't mocking you Rose. I'm just here to talk to Beulah about Albus." I tell Rose in a sedated voice and look up to see her anger only increase.

"Albus" Rose snarls and Beulah looks at her in surprise.

"Oh I see we're of alike minds on_ that_ subject." The silver-haired girl laughs in amusement.

"He does seem to be the crux of despair upon all of us." I agree and both girls look at me in bewilderment. What? So what if I'm his best friend. I can talk about him can't I?

"Well, get to bed then. It's almost curfew." Beulah says and lazily waves at us as she retreats to her rooms which are connected to the library.

"Goodnight Scorpius." Rose tells me as she silently slinks away back into the shadows. Oh no, she doesn't get to walk away that easily this time.

"You'll have to face me eventually." I yell to her back and I decide that I'll just follow her. Why the fuck not? Things can't get worse.

"Wrong!"

"Rose, please stop being like this."

"Merlin, what did you do this time?" I hear someone voice out of the shadows. Oh great, the mighty Albus has decided to grace us with his presence. Albus' form steps out into the corridor and I sigh and put my hands on my waist.

"Here comes the mastermind of it all." Rose sneers derisively shaking her hair from her face. Her blue eyes squint in fury, but suddenly a flash of intuition reaches them and her mouth quirks up in a half smile. "I suppose if you decide to spill my secrets I'll spill Scorpius'." I look at her in disbelief. Honestly, I was just as curious as Albus looked because I had no idea what would be coming out of her mouth. I didn't have secrets…no, no I didn't. My past was all out in the open. My horrible dirty skeletons in my closet have been hanging out to dry since I was born for all to see, especially to the Weasley and Potter clans. Albus looks to me for a moment as amusement lights his eyes up. I give him a shrug and turn to Rose again.

"You know that girl in the library. The one Scorpius was talking to for you? Well, I've no idea why, but they didn't look like they were too interested in you." Rose states and Albus looks really confused. Hell, I'm really confused? Of course we were talking she saw us talking. Is Rose blind or stupid?

"They nearly kissed. If I hadn't walked in-"

"WHAT?!" Albus roared at me wheeling in my direction looking like a deranged convict. His green eyes pop out at me and I cringe.

"I did nothing of the sort!" I protest and back away from Albus before I realized… I was innocent. I regain ground and puff up to my full height. "We're just friends. How could you even think that? You _know_ who I like."

"Clearly he's using reverse psychology here-"

"Can it Rose." Albus directs to her and I smile in triumphant. "That doesn't mean I believe you still." He says directing that statement at me and Rose pulls a smug face. I look at the girl with contempt. Fuck she's still hot though.

"Who are you going to believe then?" I ask haughtily and Albus smirks.

"Beulah." With that remark, Albus walks away.

"Well, that was the ultimate insult. I mean he's going to believe her over us?" Rose splutters angrily and then when she sees me eyeing her perceptively she back peddles. "I mean me, her over me." She clarifies.

"I need to smoke." I tell her flatly with a sigh. Rose looks repulsed. This is so not worth it.


	7. Chapter 7

I couldn't exactly find Beulah

I couldn't exactly find Beulah. More or less because the library doors were locked and I couldn't find a single charm in the world that would open them. So I figured I would talk to her in the morning.

I didn't realize just how incapacitated I would be though. I hated mornings and it took every ounce of energy I had just to drag myself out of bed. Scorpius hadn't waited for me.

I breezed through the Great Hall picking up a few pieces of bacon before the food disappeared, then rushing off to Defense Against the Dark Arts. So, that was my first mistake.

"Mr. Potter, ten points from Slytherin. You are late." I froze. Every single drop of blood in my body turned into an icicle. I knew that voice, in fact I'd always known that voice and I hated it. The ring of authority that was always present. The way the voice never wavered with indecision and uncertainty. It was the voice of a hero, a leader, a monster. It was the voice of my father.

I turned on the spot slowly to look back at a mirror pair of my own eyes. They were squinted together in anger and disappointment. I was so use that look. I caused it frequently.

"Sit." He demanded before turning his back to me to continue writing on the board. "As I was saying before Mr. Potter decided to join us, I will be subbing for the week. Professor Finnegan will be out to help his wife with their newborn. Now," he threw the chalk down and looked towards us eagerly. "who's ready to learn?" I nearly vomited on my desk the few pieces of bacon I had instilled in my stomach. Everyone sat up eagerly, they couldn't wait.

It was a disgusting display on behalf of the student body that the class was so partial to a teacher. They listened to his every word, went wild with his every gesture, and sighed when the happy ending came trotting along after the end of each story. I knew them all by heart and actually I was mouthing him word for word as I sat slumped over in my desk. I heard a snicker on my left and caught Scorpius looking out of the corner of his eye at me. He was the only one who had noticed how much I was pissed off. Yep, he was my best friend again. Oh let's be honest he was always my friend, but I still needed to talk to Beulah.

The. Class. Wouldn't. _End_.

It dragged on and on and on and on and on. FINALLY, the class was dismissed. I felt the tightening in my chest loosen as I made to jet out of the classroom before I had to actually talk to my father. He was much to smart for my trivial little tricks. Of course he was, he was The-Boy-Who-Lived.

"Albus, stay after class please." I heard the voice and I groaned flipping a U-turn around the stampede of students. "Where were you?"

"I was up doing homework last night. Just a late start that's all." I lied smoothly staring at my dad's shoulder so I didn't have to look into his eyes.

"I don't believe that for a second." My father's eyebrows rose high almost hitting his hairline and I sighed. It was worth a try. "You need to get to class on time, Albus. You can't take school as a joke."

I scoffed. "Like you took school seriously? I'm sorry I wasn't out last night trying to solve the latest murder plot, but I have a life."

"That's enough. I do not pay your school tuition for you to goof off-"

"What are you talking about? You would support this school irregardless of what they taught me. I'm not a child, dad." I roared at him and spun around to exit the room. I grinded my teeth in fury. What made him think it was his god-given right to tell me how I should live my life? Last I checked he did whatever the hell he wanted to do in his.

"I'll stop treating you like a child Albus Severus, when you stop acting like one." My eyes popped open at that. I felt my fingers clench together in a fist. I wanted to hit him, punch him, hex him. Anything, but I didn't think I'd ever get the chance. Even though my father was getting older his reflexes were sharper than a cat's. It was infuriating.

I came to one conclusion. He was a goddamn hypocrite who was a great dueler.

I just kept walking. If I turned around to face him who knows what might have happened, but I let my feet carry me away from the scene. I'd no idea where they were taking me and was pleasantly surprised when I looked up to see the entrance to the library.

Beulah was, as always, helping someone out. She smiled brilliantly down at the little boy who was pointing to a crinkled page in a large book.

"Those are my favorite types of flobberworms." The little boy explained before tearing his eyes away from the paper to look at Beulah. "Do you think I'm boring and strange like everyone else thinks?" I barely caught the words, but Beulah did and she looked extremely displeased. I've no idea why. The boy was dead on; he was strange. Seriously, there were types of flobberworms? As in like more than one species? _Since when_?

Ew. I hope they follow along the path of the dodo bird. There's no point in there existence.

"Of course not! Who told you that Jake?"

"Everybody." The little boy mumbled miserably.

"Flobberworms _are_ interesting. Don't let anyone tell you anything different. If you want to study them when you get older you go right ahead." Beulah told him kindly and Jake lit up at her praise.

"You're my only friend, you know?" The mousy boy replied softly. Beulah just smiled down at him and mussed up his hair so the part down the middle disappeared.

"She is a great friend." I decided to make my presence known. Beulah whirled around; her hand flew to her chest as she gasped audibly. The little boy poked his head around her body to get a glimpse at me.

Somehow that previous scene seemed to make my troubles, well less overwhelming. It gave me back my cocky confidence that I was so familiar with. I grinned at the boy and he squeaked before disappearing behind Beulah's lean figure.

"What do you want, Albus?" She asked me warily as was always her tone with me.

"I just came to have a chat."

"I thought that's what you sent your friend in here for last night. To make amends. Look, I talked to him and I've decided to accept your proposal."

I stared at her for a half-a-minute. What proposal? What in the _hell_ did Scorpius do? I weighed my options like always. I could either go with this or act outraged and blow a gasket saying I'd said no such things. I figured the former was the best option because whatever Scorpius did, it must have been for the better. At least she wasn't giving me her normal death glare.

"Er, well I'm glad. Good idea, eh?" I told her jovially and clapped my hands together before giving her the thumbs up.

"You've no clue what it is do you?" She said sardonically before rolling her eyes. "That figures. I knew Scorpius was just being nice." She huffed away to walk around the table leaving Jake open to my probing gaze. He stared back at me in fright. What was wrong with this kid? I gave him a little wave and his eyes almost bugged out of his head.

"Are you ok?" I asked him genuinely concerned with his imminent welfare and mental capabilities. He didn't move. The little boy sat like a statue, eyes still bigger than galleons.

"You're Albus Potter." Jake sputtered suddenly as Beulah observed the two of us.

"Yep."

"You're Harry Potter's son."

"That's what my mother claims." The boy didn't note my sarcasm, but Beulah uttered a derisive noise from the back of her throat.

"You're amazing!" Jake replied going all starry eyed on me. His glazed over look sent a pang of annoyance down my rigid body.

"Kid, I haven't done anything to be considered amazing. That's all my father." I responded quietly, but he didn't seem fazed. In fact, he just spouted off the tale of my father's second year. A tale I was all too familiar with involving the very founder of my house and his descendant.

"…and then the phoenix saved him from the Basilisk's poison with his tears! Did you know flobberworms can cure a few poisons if mixed in a potion correctly?" Jake forced out looking at me as if I would disprove his words. I looked to Beulah who looked very interested in what I would say to him. I felt like this was the moment when she would either sway towards me or against me. Ah shit.

"Really?" I took a seat next to him and crossed my arms over my chest ready to be bored into oblivion. "How's that?" Jake glowed and set off.

A half an hour later I'm pretty sure my eyelid was twitching from extreme lack of blinking. If I had blinked I would have fallen asleep. The little boy's speech was so mind-numbingly dreary that I compared it to torture.

"Thanks." Beulah whispered to me as the boy hopped off into the depths of the library completely overjoyed. "Poor Jake, no one understands him." she sighed sadly and a fine piece of her silk silver hair spun out of her pony tail. I whipped it back behind her ear and I felt her flinch under my touch.

"Sorry." I apologized quickly, but she didn't glare at me. She simply looked impatient.

"Why are you here?" Beulah asked me again.

"Just wanted to see you."

"Don't lie, Albus. I can tell when you're lying." I hate how she can do that. So can my dad sometimes. Was I that see-through? That predictable, when I prided myself on being unpredictable? No, I couldn't be and I was a damn good liar too. I lied my way out of _everything_.

"How can you see that? I've never had someone call me out on my lies like you do. Even my dad sometimes misses it." I asked her curiously and leaned back to stare her down.

She shrugged. "It's not that hard your eyes sort of do this weird little flicker. Anyone could see it if they really paid attention." Hm, that's about right. No one really paid attention to me, but then why did Beulah? It was a question I couldn't voice, but I desperately wondered the answer. "So…" She egged me on to continue and I just complied. Why fight it?

"My dad's subbing for Professor Finnegan." I began, but she didn't seem to follow. I could tell from the wrinkle that creased her forehead that she was confused.

"What's so bad about that?"

"Um, because he's my dad, the hero of the wizarding world."

"Some would agree that's a good thing. That it's a privilege to be his son." Beulah told me slowly her blue eyes clouded over, but I couldn't decide why. She seemed a lot tenser, guarded.

"It's a curse." I stated vehemently and looked down to find my hands curled around my wand in a death grip. I peeled my fingers off one by one, flexing them to regain feeling and some control over my body.

"Yes, it's just awful that you're showered with attention." She told me bitterly shaking her head with disbelief. Then suddenly, as if keeping her anger with me in check, her face and voice softened. "Your dad did a great thing for everyone; it's only natural you're revered. At least you aren't remembered for something bad. Think of how Scorpius feels. He's infamous; do you think he likes being the son of a death eater instead of a savior?"

I couldn't stand how much she was right. That logic was too much for me to battle with. I felt this weird lump rising in m throat. It was thoroughly unfamiliar to me and I had to look away from Beulah's understanding stare. I hated her at that moment. The only moment I would ever in my entire life. I could understand her not wanting me, not liking my personality, even her sympathizing with my father instead of me, but when she destroyed my reasoning for being the way I was. Well, let's just say I didn't know how to take it.

"Look, why don't you just try and let your father be. Why don't you accept the hand you've been dealt and live it the best way you know how? Not the worst. Don't make everyone else miserable because you are." Beulah continued. I wish she would just shut her mouth. She was making me feel… what was this? Guilt? Was this what it felt like? Was I finally taking the blame for something in my life instead of passing the buck?

"It's ok, Albus, shh." I heard her whisper and lean over to wrap my head in her arms. I was bewildered for a moment, because I wasn't sure what brought about this sudden change of events. She was touching me. Then I reached up to stop whatever it was that was tingling on my face when I realized that it was wet. There were tears on my face. Wait, was I crying?

Oh, hell no. _Hell no_. I cannot believe I'm crying in front of her.

"Whoa." I shook myself out her grip and wiped my face. "I'm good. I'm good." I sniffed and cracked my neck from side to side. She didn't react. She just sat there her arms still open for me, but I didn't come. This was exactly what I wanted, for her to finally accept me. And I was blowing it.

Then it hit me that she was defending Scorpius. Maybe Rose was right?

"Do you have feelings for Scorpius?" I asked her seriously and she literally jumped at the sudden change of direction in the conversation.

"Scorpius? Why would you say that?"

"Rose."

"Ah." Was her only reply before smiling. I didn't see anything to smile about. "I only let Scorpius get close to me because I'd seen Rose step out of the shadows for a second and then step back when she saw us. I knew it was her because I'd seen her when she checked out her book last week, she signed her name. I'll admit, I'm guilty of helping that relationship along. Poor Scorpius needs someone stable in his life." My mouth dropped. My first reaction was to tell her that_ I _needed someone stable in my life, but I felt like that would be selfish. She wouldn't appreciate that.

"That was… so something I would do." I accused her and laughed at her face as her smile dropped in horror.

"It was not." Beulah sniffed and crossed her arms in defiance. I nodded, but just that movement seemed to annoy her. "It wasn't!"

"Whatever you say." I told her lightly and grinned.

"Fine, it was a bit low."

"I knew you'd come around."

"Well, did it work?"

"Actually, it did. They've found a common ground." I said thoughtfully thinking back to the mess that was yesterday's fight.

"What's that?"

"Hating me." Beulah giggled at my response. I think she shared that similarity as well. Ah well. I can't win them all over.

"So what was the proposal?" I asked her nonchalantly

"That we could be friends."

"I could do that." I agreed and nodded my head. "It's what we're doing right now, isn't it?"

Beulah looked startled for a moment, but then the muscles in her face relaxed. "I suppose we are. Would you look at that?"

"Miracles do happen." I teased and marveled at her musical laugh. This girl really was one of a kind. No one on the face of this planet had a voice like hers so smooth and alluring; no one had a harmonious laugh like she did and no one could ever pull of the silver-haired look like she could. She was everything I needed, but the one thing I couldn't have. Just my luck.

I left the library feeling buoyant. Now I had to go and…_apologize_. I shuddered just thinking about it. It was worth it though. To save my friendship with Rose and Scorpius.


End file.
